It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.
Hebrews 11:29 (NLT)
Memories quiz
What comes to mind when you think of this historical event? For me, it’s Charlton Heston and The 10 Commandments movie. Then I remember the 10 commandments ride at Disney World and “crossing the red sea”. It certainly changed my perception of Hollywood.
The real deal
The real account of this miracle can be found in Exodus 14. It ends with v31: “…so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.” Imagine. They were being freed from slavery, with gold and silver of the Egyptians (Ex 12:35). They left in great haste following the Lord who led them by a cloud in the day and fire at night. At the red sea, they panicked because they were trapped with the sea in front and Pharaoh’s army behind.
Yesterday’s faith
The Jews had just, in faith, celebrated the passover and saw God spare their first-born while the Egyptian’s died. This took faith to believe that sacrificing a lamb and putting it’s blood on the doorposts would protect them. They had seen God perform the 10 plagues and could see Him visibly represented in the cloud and fire. They had left Egypt by faith for a promised land that none of them had ever seen let alone lived in.
Failed Faith
Now they faced another impossible test of faith – how to get across a sea. Their faith caved. They complained, “For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness (Lev 14:12).”
Keep believing
So what do we do when our faith fails? When God has allowed us to be tested and we complain or we take a different way that He wants, maybe the easier way, what do we do? We confess and repent, just like we did at salvation. He forgives (1 John 1:9), the relationship is restored, and we keep believing. Keep believing. That’s what Israel did. They had to keep believing as they walked through a sea on dry ground miraculously held in place by God until they all crossed.
